Dec. 13 will likely be remembered as a “bloody Monday” after Bitcoin (BTC) price lost the $47,000 support, and altcoin prices dropped by as much as 25% within a matter of moments. When the move occurred, analysts quickly reasoned that Bitcoin’s 8.5% correction was directly connected to the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting which starts on Dec. 15. Investors are afraid that the Federal Reserve will eventually start tapering, which simply put, is a reduction of the Federal Reserve’s bond repurchasing program. The logic is that a revision of the current monetary policy would negatively impact riskier assets. While …
Bitcoin (BTC) has been struggling to sustain the $47,500 support since the Dec. 4 crash, a movement that wiped out over $840 million in leveraged long futures contracts. The downside move came after the emergence of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus and recent data showing U.S. inflation hitting a 40-year high. While newcomers might have been scared by the 26% price correction over the past month, whales and avid investors like MicroStrategy added to their positions. On Dec. 9, MicroStrategy announced that they had acquired 1,434 Bitcoin, which increased their stake to 122,478 BTC. According to some analysts, the …
The global hash rate of the Bitcoin network has returned to all-time high (ATH) levels just six months after it saw a major crash during the aftermath of the Chinese government’s mining ban. The global hash rate of the Bitcoin network tanked as low as 84 EH/s at the start of June following the Chinese government’s crackdown on the crypto mining sector. According to Blockchain.com, the global hash rate has increased by 108% since June, with the Bitcoin network performing at a rolling seven-day average of 175 exahashes per second (EH/s) as of Dec. 8. The figure is roughly 3% …
Looking at the winners and losers of the past week clearly shows that traders endured some serious heat as the total crypto market capitalization dropped by 12.7% when Bitcoin fell to $41,000. This sharp downside move knocked the figure from $2.37 trillion to $1.92 trillion on Dec. 3 and a total of $2 billion long future contracts were liquidated. Bitcoin (BTC) price retraced 14.6% over the past week, effectively underperforming the broader altcoin market. Part of this unusual movement can be explained by the performance seen in decentralized applications which held up better than most of the market. Data shows …
While some major Chinese cryptocurrency-related publications seem to be shutting down, a number of local news agencies continue running by moving to social media like Twitter. China’s most recent crypto ban would not significantly affect local crypto media sources as there are a number of ways to disseminate industry information, according to an executive at one of the biggest crypto publications in China. The exec, who asked to remain anonymous, told Cointelegraph on Dec. 1 that several local crypto sites have been moving their community to other media channels like Twitter and Telegram after the government enforced a new crypto …
China’s crackdown on crypto is expanding into the metaverse and nonfungible tokens (NFTs), an executive at the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) recently implied. Speaking at a national financial security summit, Gou Wenjun, the director of the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) unit at the PBoC, pointed to the risks associated with leaving the new trends of the crypto ecosystem like NFTs and metaverse unregulated. He claimed that, while people would use said virtual assets for privacy and wealth appreciation, they are also prone to be used for illicit purposes like money laundering and tax evasion. The fast-paced innovation of the crypto …
The use of cryptocurrencies to evade international sanctions from various international governmental organizations like the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, among others, has been a concern for regulators ever since the creation of cryptocurrencies. The rapidly increasing adoption of digital currencies in the last two years makes this discussion more important than ever, especially with the advent of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) like the digital yuan. In an interview on Nov.17, United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said that the efficacy of U.S. sanctions would not be undermined by central bank …
A haphazardly assembled online group of passionate people who formed a decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, and pooled a spectacular amount of Ether (ETH) for a noble cause came tantalizingly close to pulling off an incredible feat of collective action. While they fell short of reaching their main goal — securing the last privately owned print copy of the United States Constitution’s first edition in order to make it available to the public — the speed, scale and efficiency of the decentralized effort were profoundly impressive. The fact that the group’s objective was to preserve an artifact epitomizing the most …
Blockchain innovation is surging throughout Southeast Asia, as the region is home to a number of fintech firms and global crypto companies. In particular, Singapore has become one of the world’s most crypto-friendly countries. This was recently highlighted in a report conducted by crypto exchange Gemini, which found that 67% of 4,348 respondents currently own crypto. The report further noted that Ether (ETH) is the most popular cryptocurrency in the region, with 78% of surveyors claiming to own the digital asset. Interestingly enough, the Ethereum blockchain may also be the network of choice for financial institutions based in Southeast Asia. …
China is pressuring its own state-owned businesses to cease mining cryptocurrencies, and the government is considering harsh penalties on firms that continue, including higher energy expenses. According to reports, Meng Wei, a spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at a press conference that as China's top economic planner, the NDRC intends to regulate industrial-scale bitcoin mining and any involvement by state businesses in the activity. The NDRC, which is in charge of mining policymaking, has reportedly recently organized a special session on the subject. It also has increased the pressure on provinces and municipalities to investigate …
The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) expels a top provincial official after investigations suggest unlawful emgagement with crypto mining activities among other abuse of power. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) alleged that Xiao Yi, former vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference from Jiangxi province abused his state-backed administrative powers to undermine the political principle of “two maintenance,” which relates to CCP’s notion of firmly maintaining the authority of the party: “[Xiao Yi] violated the new development concept, abused power to introduce and support enterprises to engage in virtual currency "mining" activities that do …
A major Asian insurer has ventured into Bitcoin (BTC), in an attempt to provide a model for other businesses in the field. Multi-line insurance firm OneDegree announced on Thursday that it is partnering with Hong Kong Bitcoin Exchange (HKbitEX) to provide protection for the latter's ON1ON custody platform. OneDegree claims to be the first Asia-based insurance provider for digital assets, having insured $100 million in digital assets under HKbitEX's custody. Insurance demand for digital assets is growing and insurance and risk management for digital assets will boost investor confidence and help the market develop, according to OneDegree. Third-party insurance covers …